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Storytelling – Share your story

At this very moment, millions of stories are told, shared and commented on across social media. Stories are universal and are understood across age, gender and nationality – often it is the stories that gather us. Therefore, storytelling is a potentially powerful tool in your marketing strategy.

But how do you get people to share your story?

Storytelling is phenomenon which has existed for many years. However, with the explosive growth of social media, the opportunity to tell stories has become an even more important element in the strategic marketing planning. In the following, we will present some of the elementary considerations of storytelling and introduce you to the first steps of creating your company’s story.

Why Storytelling:

What is my story?

We all have a story. Your story is a narration of what led you to where you are today. How did you get the idea to start up your company, which challenges did you run into, and how did you overcome them? Thus, even before you started your company, you had a story. In that way, your story is defined by your company, and must therefore also tell your customers who you are.

Start off by asking yourself the following questions:

What is my story? Find the company’s core and explore it. Why do we exist, what is our purpose, and why is it that people should want to share our story?

Who is my audience? Your story should not only be understood by your customers, but also your colleagues, your investors, your financial advisor etc.

What is my stage? Where will my audience meet my story? Which context are they in? Are they on Facebook? Twitter? Here, it can be an advantage to create a story that works in the different platforms – perhaps you should define the platforms which have the greatest influence on your audience and focus on these.

Be honest

Tell the true story about your company. Negative stories are quick to be shared online, therefore, it is important that you remember to tell the truth. People will always discover if you lie. Does your company act differently than what is portrayed in the story, your audience will be confused and feel misguided. Therefore, it is worth remembering that your story is embedded in your DNA and defines your company culture.

We remember what we experience – not what we are told

The customers’ experiences are what become the story about your company – you can influence their experience.

Let your customers experience your story. If your story does not match the experience people have, when they meet you, your company or your product, they will realise that your story is false. The challenge is to translate your story into an experience. Here, it can be an advantage to map out your customer’s experience.

Go through every stage in the customer’s interaction with you. Here, you can make a storyboard that maps out everything from the first meeting to the interaction in itself and the concluding acts.

See an example of a storyboard here:

By making a storyboard, you can describe and predict the acts that give your customers an experience that matches you and your story. What feeling should your customer have? Likewise, you can map all of the things that can influence their experience negatively. Thereafter, make sure to turn all the negative experiences into positive ones.

Improve your story

Utilise the interaction of social media – use the reactions your story receives to adjust your story. Just remember to maintain the core of your story. As mentioned before, the story should reflect your DNA.